Derrick Heard joins Turning Points' Yellow Ribbon homeless veterans program as new director

BRADENTON -- A shiny, new Schwinn bicycle is parked in Derrick D. Heard's office at the Bill Galvano One Stop Center.

It is earmarked for a homeless veteran Heard met in the parking lot at the One Stop Center one morning.

Heard, recently appointed program director for the Turning Points Yellow Ribbon veterans support program, bought the bicycle out of his own pocket after seeing the vet riding a dilapidated bike.

"You would not believe the value of a bike to our homeless population," said Heard, who served as an U.S. Army engineering officer for 29 years, including a combat tour in Afghanistan.

"We can't have too many bikes," Heard said of the need for basic transportation to get to appointments or a job.

Turning Points announced Heard's appointment this week to head Yellow Ribbon's continuing quest to get homeless veterans off the streets.

"I can't think of a better way to follow up my military career," Heard said.

His last active duty assignment was at the Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa.

Adell Erozer, executive director of Turning Points, met Heard at an United Way leadership seminar at Lakewood Ranch and was impressed by the way he attacked a problem the group was working on.

"He was very impressive. He came to Turning Points and did a tour of our facility. I felt like it was meant to be," Erozer said. "He inspires confidence in people and they feel listened to."

Heard admits it was eye opening to observe Turning Points and the homeless veterans it serves.

"The concept of a homeless veteran," Heard said, repeating himself for emphasis, "The concept of a homeless veteran. Those words should never be linked if a man or woman raises their hand to serve their country in war."

Turning Points is working with Jewish Family and Children's Service of the Suncoast Inc. to achieve "functional zero," defined by the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs as "a well-coordinated and efficient community system that assures homelessness is rare, brief and nonrecurring and no veteran is forced to live on the street."

For agencies assisting the homeless, determining their numbers is always a challenge.

The Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness will conduct a census of homeless citizens in Manatee and Sarasota counties Jan. 25.

Heard would like to be able to declare functional zero has been achieved in Manatee County this year, but notes: "We are discovering new homeless people every day."

Heard said the Yellow Ribbon program should become more aggressive in looking for homeless vets in Manatee County.

For more information about the Yellow Ribbon program, or to make a bicycle or other donation, visit tpmanatee.org or call 941-747-1509.

James A. Jones Jr., Herald reporter, can be contacted at 941-745-7053 or on Twitter@jajones1.

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 6:19 PM with the headline "Derrick Heard joins Turning Points' Yellow Ribbon homeless veterans program as new director ."